Adding Esata or USB 3.0 to Laptop

[Tetsujin_100]

I was wondering if you took our your optical drive is it possible to run a cable out from the bay and make an esata port with a Sata to eSata adapter of some sort? I would prefer usb 3,0 but I thought about it and believe that would take a sata to usb 3.0 adapter or a jury rig a chain of adapters to get ofsata>esata>usb 3.0. If you know of an obscure device that does that AIO it would be appreciated to send me a linik.

I do not have a mini pci slot on the laptop I am working on and I understand that pcie wouldnt give power unless the adapter was a Sata>Powered eSata adapter.

Any experience with this would help me a lot. Thanks in advance for the help good sirs a ladys.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Uhm NO. It doesn't work like 'just change the adapter and changes the connection'. Both connections are a different type of chipset and 'wiring' scheme, to include POWER over the connection. In the case of USB3.0 this is totally different.

What are you trying to achieve by doing this, this is very ODD request? I can only guess you want eSata/USB3.0 added to the laptop because you do not have it built in and your trying to find a way to do that (for a external drive I assume?). A laptop is built to the specs it was under, you can't "mod it" like a desktop (just add a new card, swap out parts, etc.). There is power consumption limitation (purposefully), overheating issues (melting wiring and causing fires), and so on.

You can plug the USB3.0 device into any USB port and it will work still, just won't get the high speed. If you really want that component for a laptop, you will have to buy a new laptop with it built in.

 

[Tetsujin_100]

Uhm NO. It doesn't work like 'just change the adapter and changes the connection'. Both connections are a different type of chipset and 'wiring' scheme, to include POWER over the connection. In the case of USB3.0 this is totally different.

What are you trying to achieve by doing this, this is very ODD request? I can only guess you want eSata/USB3.0 added to the laptop because you do not have it built in and your trying to find a way to do that (for a external drive I assume?). A laptop is built to the specs it was under, you can't "mod it" like a desktop (just add a new card, swap out parts, etc.). There is power consumption limitation (purposefully), overheating issues (melting wiring and causing fires), and so on.

You can plug the USB3.0 device into any USB port and it will work still, just won't get the high speed. If you really want that component for a laptop, you will have to buy a new laptop with it built in.

I am not talking about direct connections I am talking about an actual external adapter/converter that connects to the sata port in my laptops optical bay and changes it to esata. Primary goal is to find if I can change sata to esata. It sounds doable because of the relationship between esata and sata connections and all the optical drive in the laptop is doing is connecting to a sata port(and you can plug in a hard drive the same way if it has a caddy), but I was trying to make sure.

I know its an odd request which is why I felt I should ask. Laptops are dead end machines.(This isnt my personal laptop and I would have chosen a much better one if I had been involved) HP G72 260US(POS Edition) lol.

I am just trying to work with what I have to at least be able to have a higher speed connection on it when I need it and not trying to spend hundreds of dollars for a solution I only need at times.

Are you sure there is absolutely no way to turn a sata connection into a working esata connection?

Thanks

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Yes I am sure, it isn't a "conversion" cable connection thing as your alluding to (add a different connection and now it is a different type of SATA). eSata is wired and chipped different, so the actual wiring from board to the connection is different, the chips to handle the connection is different and so on. Plus far as I know your trying to do this with a Mobo that has SATA I on it. Yes Laptops are dead end machines for 'hardware' you can't "upgrade them", and you can only 'replace them' when you need different hardware, sorry fact of life.

The ONLY alternative is if the laptop had a "CardBUS" slot in it, there is add on cards such as a eSATAp (p meaning it is powered, eSATA does NOT power a connected device) which as I alluded to has all the right wiring, circuits, etc.

 

[Tetsujin_100]

So this http/www.startech.com/Cables/Drive/eSATA/1ft-Low-Profile-SATA-to-eSATA-Plate-Adapter~ESATAPLT1LP wouldnt work because of differences?

Again I am weighing what is true since I have read quite a few people say you can use(said they have done it) something like that as long as you dont expect it to be hot swappable. I am not saying you do not know what you are talking about I just need a bit more than a single individual confirming to be sure since I have people saying it does and people saying it doesnt.

I appreciate your help though.

 

[jarotech]

Hi, sure you can take a SATA to eSATA cable and it will work, but the eSATA component will have its own power source.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

To clarify, there is a difference between a normal eSATAp/USB connection and a eSATA connection. The first provides power to the connected device, the second does not, but still requires to conform to a set of power specifics and laptops on the Mobo are not built the same way, same power, as the laptop Mobo, which is centered around conserving power usage.

http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA - Scroll to half down the entire page.

The differences are:
Minimum transmit amplitude increased: Range is 500–600 mV instead of 400–600 mV.
Minimum receive amplitude decreased: Range is 240–600 mV instead of 325–600 mV.
Maximum cable length increased to 2 metres (6.6 ft) (USB and FireWire allow longer distances.)
The eSATA cable and connector is similar to the SATA 1.0a cable and connector except:
The eSATA connector is mechanically different to prevent unshielded internal cables from being used externally. The eSATA connector discards the "L"-shaped key and changes the position and size of the guides.
The eSATA insertion depth is deeper: 6.6 mm instead of 5 mm. The contact positions are also changed.
The eSATA cable has an extra shield to reduce EMI to FCC and CE requirements. Internal cables do not need the extra shield to satisfy EMI requirements because they are inside a shielded case.
The eSATA connector uses metal springs for shield contact and mechanical retention.
The eSATA connector has a design-life of 5,000 matings; the ordinary SATA connector is only specified for 50.

....
Desktop computers without a built-in eSATA interface can install an eSATA host bus adapter (HBA); if the motherboard supports SATA, an externally available eSATA connector can be added. Notebook computers can be upgraded with Cardbus[36] or ExpressCard[37] versions of an eSATA HBA. With passive adapters, the maximum cable length is reduced to 1 metre (3.3 ft) due to the absence of compliant eSATA signal-levels.

That second part is noted here: http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESATAp

+12 V issue[edit]

There are only two versions of this port. Most laptop computers do not have +12V power available, and have an eSATAp port which provides only +5 V. Desktop computers, with +12V available, have a port with two additional pads, placed against the plug's "horns", which provide +12 V. Some manufacturers refer to these ports as eSATApd, where d stands for "dual voltage". Some devices, such as 2.5-inch drives, can operate off the +5V supplied by laptop eSATAp ports. Others, such as 3.5-inch drives, also require +12V; they can be powered from a desktop eSATAp port, but require an external +12V power supply if used with a laptop computer. This can lead to confusion if users are not aware of the distinction.
eSATAp PCI and PCI-e add-on cards are available for desktop computers. They usually provide two eSATAp ports, with port multiplier functionality, and hot-swap capability.
eSATAp cables are available with wide connectors to plug directly into the power and signal connectors of a bare drive, providing a +12V supply in the case of a desktop machine. A version of this wide connector is found inside every external sata hard drive enclosure; when the hard drive is slid inside, it mates with a connector that supplies it with both signal and power.
If the smaller side of this cable is plugged into a "powered" esata port, providing both 12 volts and 5 volts, then the wide end may be plugged into a 2.5" or 3.5" sata hard drive, supplying the bare drive with both signal and power. The small 2.5" drive will get signal and power at 5 volts, which is all that the smaller drive requires, and which the larger 3.5" drive requires only for its logic board. Additionally, the larger 3.5" drive will get the 12 volts it needs to power its disk spindle motor. Thus a bare hard drive may be conveniently placed directly on top of the computer, or on an adjacent table, and powered by the unique cable, it will run at full sata speeds, without the necessity of placing the hard drive into an external enclosure ((Aka external Power)).